Brazil: Rubber and Ruin - The History of Fresh Produce

Why does the most extravagant opera house in the history of South America sit in the middle of the Amazon rainforest — and how did a wild tree, a Connecticut hardware merchant's accident, and a debt bondage system built on human misery pay for Italian marble, Murano chandeliers, and a ceiling painted in Paris to look like the underside of the Eiffel Tower? Who was Henry Wickham, the man who took 70,000 rubber tree seeds out of Brazil and ended the boom in a single generation? And what happened to the opera house when the carriages stopped coming?Join John and Patrick as they tell the story of Brazil and rubber — the seringueiros, the Teatro Amazonas, and the most improbable building on Earth...----------In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business-----------Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.Support us!Share this episode with your friendsGive a 5-star ratingWrite a review-----------Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here for extra stories related to recent episodes, book recommendations, a sneak peek of upcoming episodes and more.-----------Instagram, TikTok, Threads:@historyoffreshproduceEmail: [email protected]